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Tuesday, December 10, 2013 – Daily News 7 ways to keep the pounds off this holiday season Recycle your Christmas We all love getting our Christmas trees, don't we? Sometimes we escape into nature to trudge up hills through inclement weather and cut the tree down ourselves—an invigorating, rewarding and primal hands-on approach. Other times, we settle for a converted tree lot next to a McDonald's. However you retrieve your tree, be sure to dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way— recycle it. Local city and town governments across the country offer services (probably free-of-charge) to dispose of your Christmas tree in an eco-friendly manner. The services assigned for tree pick-up can range from a city organization to a local Boy Scout troop, and the trees are often turned into mulch for a number of uses, like ground cover for neighborhood parks. The web site Earth911.com helps you locate recycling centers in your area for everything from hazardous materials and paint to batteries and light bulbs—and, yes, even Christmas trees. Click on Find a Recycling Center, and enter Christmas tree and your zip code for services and locations. Recycling isn't just for Christmas trees, though, with plenty of opportunities to give your holiday season an eco-friendly twist. Gift wrapping: After the gifts are opened, the pile of once-used wrapping paper could depress even the jolliest old elf. Much of it can be recycled, but the glossy, dye-filled gift-wrapping cannot be reused and must be dumped in the traditional garbage. Here are some suggestions that might help you feel better when wrapping gifts: • Buy recycled wrapping paper. That way you already have the OK to place in the green bin. • Use newspaper. Put that old sports section to good use by doubling it up as wrapping paper or composting it. • Box it in. From shoeboxes to those tiny cereal boxes, these are great gift receptacles. • Save the wrapping paper. My mom did this for years while my brothers and I were growing up. And even with her eager grandchildren now shredding through the paper from gift to gift with terrifying efficiency, she hasn't given up trying. What perseverance! • Reusable bags. My wife and I have swapped out wrapping paper for our new tradition, the reusable bag. Our impressive stash of ChicoBags is ideal for birthday and Christmas prizes. Holiday photo cards: Receiving a holiday photo card is a ritual everyone likes and looks forward to. Keep those images alive by re-purposing the holiday photo cards of new faces, grown-up children and cute animals forced to wear embarrassing outfits. Use the photos you received this year as coasters, placemats, framed photo cards and calendars for those same folks next year. So, with all the pageantry and elements that go into Christmas, there are clear opportunities for giving Mother Nature a break. Do you have any favorite eco-friendly holiday tips? As always, send them along to me at smurphy@build.com. Until next time, Happy Home Improving. Sean Murphy is a copywriter for Build.com in Chico. Visit the company's website for more home improvement tips at www.build.com. Season of giving is time to teach children about charity Pulling paper angels off a Christmas tree has marked the holidays as vividly as colored lights, wrapped presents and Santa Claus for as long as I can remember. From an early age, I would select a donation tag from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree. The paper angel contained the wish — usually a toy or clothing item — for a needy child who might not receive any other gift that Christmas. It seemed so small a gesture, yet even today, that simple act of charity still resonates. So every Christmas, I take my daughters shopping to buy toys for children they will never meet. Charity doesn't have to be grand in size. Many readers wrote about stocking their cars with bottled water and small food items to give to homeless people they pass on the streets. Several others wrote about encouraging their children to participate in food or clothing drives. Joni White, of Boulder Creek, recently realized that involving her children in service projects has made an impression on 15-year-old Cameron and 13-year-old Cassidy. This Thanksgiving, Cassidy suggested they do something "different and meaningful." That's how the Whites came to volunteer at the Santa Cruz Community Dinner, serving Thanksgiving meals to 1,100 people in need. Cheryl Breen, of Walnut Creek, credits the think-outside-the-box approach of her daughter's middleschool teacher and adviser for the after-school club Teens Take Action. The students decided to make 700 brown-bag lunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples and juice boxes, then distribute them to homeless residents in San Francisco."Along with parent chaperones, the teens got on BART with their goods and headed into the city. Each student's backpack was jammed with lunches. They got off at a stop closest to where there was the most need. At first, the students were rather timid, seeing the sadness of this unfamiliar world."But as soon as they started seeing how happy these bagged meals were making the recipients, the kids started picking up their pace — almost running from person to 3B person, happily handing out their wares. "That evening, my daughter, Molly, shared with me that she had given out one bag to a man who told her, 'Thank you, but I've already received one.'" Chandra Brooks, of San Jose, has taken her 8-year-old son, Kasiah, to community events and fundraisers to show him charity through action. Sometimes, that comes at the expense of an activity he wants to do."I want to instill in him how fortunate we are, and that sometimes it's not always about what we want to do, but what we should do."(Recently) I took him to participate in Beautiful Day at James Lick High School. We painted picnic tables and scraped gum off the blacktop. He asked me, 'Mommy, why are we cleaning gum off the blacktop; how is this helping people?' I had to explain to him that James Lick High School does not have the money to hire people to clean the school, so they need help and we are helping them. I find explaining to young kids in very basic and simple terms is the best. You don't have to make it too complicated." 'Tis the season for holiday eating. And that means that most of us will pack on about one to two pounds this time of year. While that might not sound like much, annual weight gain adds up year after year. But rather than put down the eggnog and fruit cake altogether, Dr. Amy Moore, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University, offers a few sensible approaches to enjoying the season while keeping your waistline intact. Be picky about your splurges. Holidays are a time to sample special seasonal treats that people have spent a lot of time preparing, Moore says. "If Aunt Helen's delectable Christmas Buche de Noel chocolate dessert beckons, enjoy a slice but pass on the brownies or soda." Be mindful. Pay attention to what you're eating. Slow down and savor every bite, taking the time to appreciate what you're putting into your mouth. Plan ahead. If you know you are going to a party in the evening, eat a healthy breakfast and lunch. "Bring something healthy to potlucks so at least you can count on one healthy option being offered," Moore says. "Fruit — pomegranates, clementine oranges and cranberries — are terrific holiday dishes because they are pretty, festive and, best of all, easy." Conversation is calorie-free. Focus on family and friendship, not the food. Water is calorie-free, too. "Alternate a glass of water with every alcoholic beverage to pace yourself as you celebrate and prevent a next day hangover," Moore advises. Exercise. "While it's not necessary to count every calorie, it is good to have a rough idea of how your calorie intake corresponds to your exercise, and know that it can take more exercise than you might think to balance out your food intake," adds Ethel Frese, associate professor of physical therapy and athletic training at Saint Louis University. Fight the urge to hibernate. Bundle up and get out for fresh air and exercise, Frese adds. Run errands, stop by to see friends and neighbors, drop off canned goods at a food pantry, check out an exhibit at a museum or build a snowman. 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